VII

Everything had changed now.

“Are you okay, oppa?” Her voice is laced with worry.

“Like you care, .” His words are slurred.

“You’ve been drinking again.”

“Piss off! I don’t need you! I don’t want you anymore!” In a sick routine she knew off by heart, he began to cry drunkenly. “Why? Why you? Why couldn’t I fall for a normal girl and be happy?”

~~~~

“How are you feeling?”

“Please…just don’t talk to me.” His voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

“I’m sorry, Junhyung. I tried to warn you.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault now?”

“The blame lies with both of us.”

~~~~

“Oppa!” Jaehwa  walked through the door, frowning slightly at the sombre mood. “What’s wrong?”

“Hana and I are going through a rough time, Jaehwa. It’s nothing, don’t worry,” he said reassuringly.

“It doesn’t sound like nothing, oppa,” the woman said. “Fighting and yelling does nothing. You have to talk it out.”

“Since when did my little sister get so smart?”

“Since you got stupider, oppa. Bye!” With the final teasing insult, she kissed his cheek and left.

~~~~

“Junhyung-ah, just…let it out.”

“You really want to know?”

“Talking helps. Besides, friends talk, right? And you promised we’d be friends forever.”

“Friends…don’t lead each other on. Friends don’t use each other. Friends don’t take advantage of each other, but that’s what you did!”

“Friends don’t ignore warnings. Friends don’t make empty promises,” she shouted back. “But that’s what you did!”

“What else was I supposed to do?” he cried, outraged. “I see a girl. She’s my soul-mate. She knows it too, but she refuses to be with me. What can I do, except pursue her? Every rejection…made my resolve stronger, and at the same time it hurt. Can you imagine what it feels like? Your one true love…rejecting you.”

“You could have listened. I warned you, Junhyung.”

“Do you know how impossible you sounded? ‘I can’t fall in love.’ What kind of girl says that?” At her silence, he allowed himself a flash of triumph before continuing. “You didn’t have to fall in love with me instantly, like I did to you. I knew that. All those stories…I thought love could be learned, over the years. I thought that friendship would lead to love.”

“All those things are true. Love can be learned. Friendship can lead to love. It’s just not true for me. I can’t fall in love.” She enunciated each word carefully, and for the first time, she saw that her words had finally hit him.

“What kind of person can’t fall in love? Do you feel anything at all? You freak!”  His judgemental words were like barbs in her already damaged heart.

“Junhyung-ah! Please!” She grabbed his arm as he turned to storm out. “Please! We can work this out! We love each other!”

“No. I don’t.”